Method for producing shingle stock



J. A. ROMANO 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 METHOD FOR PRQDUCINGSHINGLE STOCK IIIMMQLI fil Sept. 16, 1952 Filed May 27, 1945 1 N Q Ulllllllil ""m" 1 Q QL?. imm' lu t l Sept. 16, 1952 J, A, ROMANO 2,610,555

METHOD FOR PRGDUCING SHINGLE STOCK Filed May 27, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTRNEY Sept. 16, 1952 J. A. RoMANo METHOD FOR PRODUCING SHINGLE STOCK Filed may 27, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENToR. zazz/zfzaw ATTDRNEY terial such as cement.

Patented Sept. i6, y1.95.2

UNITED .STATES 2,610,5553fj METHoDFoR PRODUCING Si1l.IIIGIQE' fso'oi;

John A. Romano, BerkeleyfliigltsQN.- .i o l Application May 27, isaelfsriai No. 672.680

, 1 ,This invention relates to novel methods and apparatus for making asbestos shingle stock or any other similar material generally formed by the accumulation of successive layersof wet material In the art, it has been common practice to form a mixture of fibrous material, such asiasbestos bers, and a'cementitious or bondingV ma- Sucha mixture in the Wet condition is transferred to anendless band and is carried thereon as a relatively thin layer or web of wet asbestos-cement mixture. The layer of said asbestos-cement mixture is trans- .ferred onto a rotating accumulating roll until the desired thickness is obtained whereupon it is stripped from the roll-and transferred to a cutting table. While on the cutting table, the wet sheet of said asbestos-cement mixture is cut into units of the same size and shape. These units are then removed from said table, stacked and subjected to the next operation which generhas a number ,of disadvantages, among which are the following:

'(1) yWhen the boards are stripped from the Yaccumulatingv roll, many of them are broken because of their low-'tensile strength in the wet condition. The loss generally is between'20% to 40% of those produced on said roll.

(2) An appreciable percentage of the boards which are in the whole condition as they are stripped off of the accumulating roll are broken as they are dragged along the cutting table to cutting position.

(3) The saws employed in cutting the board must be sharpened every eight hours and must be replaced about every month.

(4) When the boards are saw cut, there is generally sawdust between them, and when these units are calendered the loose dust is pressed into the grain of the faces 'of these units resulting in spotty or dirty units.

The main object of this invention is to greatly vunitsof the asbestos-cement type.

2 Claims. (Cl. 92-6'17.)

exists. "or .tanks vlll containing therein an aqueous slurry which" consists; essentially' of water, fibers, such Another .objecti of .this invention is to provide novel Aappar'atiisfforiincreasing the production of said units and thereby reducing the cost thereof. Another object of this invention is to p rovide novel apparatus for the production of these units, wherebythe'- amountjof manual labor for their prddunonis decreased..

Another object ,of this invention is the elimination of the saw-cutting operations. p Another objectjof this inventionis to provide arnovel-method forproducing said units. Y

These as well 'aspother objects and advantages of thisiinvention `iwillat least in part be obvious from vthe@accompanyingl drawings; wherein; 'Figi 1 'is 'a side. .View of a wet machine embodying'myinvention.-

i y 1 i 'f'FigL 2,5is: a perspectivezview of a dual cutting device employed in the practice of this invention.

."EigL 31is a 'front viewof the machinel shown Y'the relationship 'of the -cuttingfdezvice'to the layer c'ii'fnwebfv material ontheaccumulating roll at a particular stageof operation.

Y Eig.`f6"isja-perspectivefview of the,v front part ofthe -machineand shows the relationship of parts and( the units beingstripped and conveyed fromthe accumulator roll. 5

i 'p This invention-'is'illustratedin connection with `apparatus for producing wet boards or asbestoscement stock for` shingles fromv a'miXture con- 4sistingessentially ofV asbestosgbers and cement which'ds transferred to van rendless belt in the form of Va relativelyA thin Vcontinuously formed web.V This we t web of asbestos fibers and cement mijxisftransferred from saidbelt and accumulated.onjarolliuntil'the desired thickness of `Wet shown 'in the drawin'gsfthis apparatus conessentially ,of one and preferably two` vats bestes ,fibe ,rs; and -a cementitious or bonding m'aterial. such as cement. This' slurry lmay 'be fed-continuously tosaid tanks l0 from a discharge hopper'V Il connected to a mixing chamberY (not shown) where saidslurry is produced. Rotatably mountedin each of said tanks I0 is a drum I2 having a cylindrical periphery of fine wire mesh fabric I3. A predetermined section of each of said drums is subjected to vacuum to'cause the ber and cement mix to adhereto screen 13 in the form of athin layerjvvhch is carriedout of the slurry in the vat and continuously deposited on a face of an endless band I5.

The endless band I5 is supported by a plurality of drums and rollers, with a drum IB located just above each of the screens I3 and a drum I'Ilocated at the forward part of the machine. The drum I'I is keyed to a shaft I8 horizontally supported by upstanding supporting brackets I3. Also keyed to shaft I8 is a sprocket 20 meshing with a drive sprocket 2| keyed to the drive shaft of an electric motor 22. An accumulator drum or roll 23 is carried by a shaft 24 horizontally disposed and journaled in bearings carried by a pair of supports 25. The supports 25 areV mounted for sliding vertical movement on standards 26. The roll 23 is mounted directly above the drum I'I. Y

The endless band I5 disposed in the path shown in the drawings, has a reach'thereof extending along a portion of the under face of the accumulator roll V23. An endless band conveyor 3Il'has one end thereof located adjacent the lower part of roll V23.

In operation of the aforedescribed apparatus which is of the type heretofore used in the preparation of the wet stock or board, a thin layer of wet asbestos fiber-cement mixture is continuously formed on the rotating screens I3 and deposited on the continuously moving band I5. As the continuously moving band I5 passes the rotating accumulator roll 23, this layer of Amaterial is continuously transferred or wound on said roller.

According to this invention, I provide a device. which may be readily coupled with existing machines of the type aforesaid, to cut the layers as the wet board or stock is being formed or built up onthe accumulator roll 2 3. For this purpose I employ a shaft 33 having keyed thereto at about the mid-length thereof a transversely disposed disc cutter 34. Also rigidly secured to said shaft 33 is an elongated cutter 33 disposed along the length of said shaft. Ifdesired, the cutterV 3B may be adiustablv mounted on a plate Vcarried by the shaft 33 so that its cutting `edge may be moved towards or away from the longitudinal axis of shaft 33. The outer periphery of said discanl elongated cutters 34 and 36 are preferably the same cylindrical plane of vroughly single diameter. Each end of the shaft 33 is mounted in a bearing 31 carried by vertically adinstable bracket `3ft/supported by the slideable support 25. Keyed to the shaft 33 near one end thereof is a sprocket `meshing with a sprocket 4I keyed to an idler shaft 42 carried by one Vof the brackets 33. Also keyed to shaft 42 is a sprocket 43 driven by chain lcoupled therewith and with sprocket `.45 keyed to accumulator roll shaft 24. The relationship between these various sprockets is such that for each revolution of shaft 24, the shaft 33 makes a plurality of and preferably four complete. revolutions. In the embodiv231so as to be spirally wound thereon, the continuouslyrotating shaft 33 continuously rotates the dual cutter consisting of cutters 34 and 33.

The cutter 34 is always maintained in contact with the wet mix on roll 23 to cut the same circumferentially. For each complete revolution of the roll 23, the longitudinal cutter 33 is moved to operable cutting position four separate times. Thus, while the cutter 34 is always in cutting and operable position, the cutter 33 is swung to operative and cutting position upon each quarter revolution of the roller 23. Thus each layer wound on roll 23Yis out circumferentially along the same line and longitudinally on the same four lines, each spaced about from each other. The line of cutting of the cutter 35 is in the saine plane as the longitudinal axis of the shafts 33 and 24 and this plane is substantially at right angles to the horizontal. After about eight to ten laps or plies of said wet mixrhas been accumulated thereon, the wet board or stock which now is of the proper thickness and has been cut transversely and longitudinal into units of the same and desired size, these units may be readily stripped therefrom and fall over vthe idler roll 53 and onto the traveling belt 30 as separate units which may be removed therefrom and stacked on skids and subjected to the next operationwhich may be the drying operation. The cutters 34 and 36 maybe so set as to completely sever each of therindividual layers of said asbestos-cement mix as it is-wound around 'roll 23. If complete severance is not desired, these cutters may be set so that the individual layers may be scored, grooved or notched Vto weaken each of said individual layers along predetermined lines. In this description and claims, the terms out .and cutting are used in such sense as to include complete severance, as well as partially cutting, such as by scoring, notching or grooving the stock to weaken the same.

The accumulator roll 23, which is of comparatively large diameter is essentially an idler roll free to rotate and to be moved vertically up anddown on the supporting stands 23. The accumulating roller 23 is driven by the continuous band i5. With the novel apparatus as shown, the velocity of rotation of the accumulator roll 23 is dependent -on the linear velocity of the band I5, the cutters 34 and 36 are movable vertically up and down with the accumulating roll 3 and the speed of rotation of the cutters 34 and 33 is always directly proportional to the speed of rotation of the accumulating roll 23.

' Since certain changes in carrying out the above process yand, the constructions set forth, which embody the invention, may be made without departing from its scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the description or shown inthe accompanying drawings shall be interpreted a illustrative and not inca limiting sense.

claim:

l. The method for producing wet asbestoscement shingle stock comprising spirally winding around an accumulator roll a relatively thin web of asbestos-cement mix in the wet state and during said winding operation and while on said roll, cutting both longitudinally and circumferentially each individual turn of said wet web on said roll before the next succeeding turn has been completely formed on said roll, the longitudinal and circumferential cuttings of each succeeding turn being substantially in alignment with the respective longitudinal and circumferential cuttings of each subjacent turn whereby individual wet asbestos-cement shingle stock is formed on the accumulator roll.

2.The method for producing wet asbestoscement shingle stock comprising spirally winding around an accumulator roll a relatively thin web of asbestos-cement mix in the Wet state and during said winding operation and While on said roll, continuously individually cutting circumferentialy on said roll each of lthe turns of said wet web formed on said roll and'intermittently individually cutting longitudinally on said roll each of the turns of said Wet Web formed on said roll, said circumferential and longitudinal cuttings of each succeeding turn being respectively substantially in alignment with the circumferential and longitudinal cuttings of each subjacent turn whereby Wet asbestos-cement shingle stock is formed on said accumulator roll.

' JOI-IN A. ROMANO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number 

